Content marketing is a proven marketing strategy that brings in new customers and keeps them coming back. Here’s a guide for understanding content marketing and putting it into practice.

Creating a Connection with Your Customers

ContentMarketing

A GUIDE TO

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 2ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

Have you been hearing a lot about content marketing lately? If so, you’re not alone.

If you’ve been thinking that content needs to be a part of your

marketing strategy, but don’t really know where to start, we’re

here to help. We’ve gathered some resources and information

to get you started, no matter what your goals or budget.

Contents

3 What Is Content Marketing?

7 Creating Content That Connects

12 Distribution and Monitoring

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At its most basic, content marketing is just what the name suggests: marketing built around content.

But it can’t be just any content: To be effective, content must be smart, useful and

entertaining. It must draw in prospective and current customers and keep them engaged.

In short, it must be content people want to consume, whether it’s delivered in the form

of blog posts, social media updates, videos or buying guides.

WHAT IS CONTENT MARKETING?

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Traditional advertising is focused outward, meaning it tries to put your business in front of the

customer by reaching out through commercials and print ads.

Content marketing is a type of inbound marketing: It’s designed to bring customers to you.

Liz Buffa VP, Headline Studio at Advance Local

When people come to you, rather than vice versa, they’re a lot more likely to stick around.

That connection leads to real, lasting relationships—and ultimately to higher sales.

We know that people are fast-forwarding past commercials, tuning out banners and hitting ‘skip ad’ as soon as the option appears. But people seem to have an unlimited thirst for smart content: things that entertain them, inform them and enrich their lives.

“

”

BRING CUSTOMERS TO YOU

VS

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Content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing

initiatives, while generating about three times as many leads.1

62% Less Cost

3X More Leads

Brands that utilize content marketing save more than

$14 per customer acquisition.1

$14+ 82% of companies that blog see a positive ROI for their

inbound marketing.2

82%

MARKETING THAT DELIVERS REAL RESULTS

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You don’t have to be a multinational corporation to excel at content marketing. In fact, it can be an especially effective way for small and

mid-sized businesses to connect with customers. Consider that 71% of companies with fewer than 200 employees say content marketing

is their main marketing strategy.2

Big benefits from even small efforts. Here are some key ways content marketing can help your company.

A TOOL FOR EVERYONE

Build your brand. Thoughtful and engaging

content on websites, social

media, mobile and other

venues draws attention

to the qualities about

your company.

Improve loyalty. Content marketing creates

opportunities for meaningful,

sustained interaction with your

customers. Creating useful and

entertaining content builds

trust, which ultimately helps

retain your customers’ business.

Increase visibility. Search brings more people to

company websites than all other

avenues combined.5 Content like

white papers, blog posts and

videos improves search rankings

and gives customers a reason to

visit your website.3

Generate sales. In the end, sales are what

you’re after—and according

to research from the Content

Marketing Institute, more than

half of content marketing

consumers say content has

a positive impact on their

purchase decisions.4

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 7ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

Whether you’re a store owner, an accountant, a healthcare provider or any other type

of business, you can generate good content.

Here’s how...

CREATING CONTENT THAT CONNECTS

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If you’re a small business owner, you’re in a great position to create content, because you probably

already know your local market better than anyone else. “The best content happens when a company

really thinks about its customers’ interests first,” says Buffa.

Use your knowledge to find new ways to engage your customer base.

Tricks of the TradeThese tools make creating, managing and delivering content easy.

WordPress Use themes to create a blog or website.

Canva Design graphics using ready-made templates.

Buffer Schedule and manage social media posts across platforms.

Mailchimp Create and manage email newsletters and more.

Unsplash Access free, high-resolution photos you can use with your content.

THINK ABOUT WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS

1

• Create a blog to give advice related to your industry.

• Make a video offering a behind-the-scenes look at

your business.

• Post regular updates on the social media sites

most used by your target demographics.

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 9ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

One of the best ways to create valuable content is to share your insider knowledge with

consumers. No one knows your business or region better than you, so make your insights

available to others. “Establish yourself as the go-to source of good information and people will

reward you with their business and loyalty,” Buffa says.

There are endless ways to capitalize on your area of expertise.

Content Marketing in Action

Multicare Health SystemMulticare Health System, a not-for-profit health care organization based in Tacoma, WA, has used content marketing to expand its reach and provide better care to its patients. Multicare’s strategy includes blog posts, email newsletters, videos and social media, all connected with a carefully designed network.

Each campaign, explains Marce Edwards, director of media and digital communications, begins with a 500-word blog post. From that, shorter pieces are tailored for social media, each linking back to the original post. “Content is more powerful when it supports other content,” says Edwards.

One recent campaign, initiated to support a new breast milk bank, focused on educating people about the benefits of breastfeeding. A blog post, “6 great things about breastfeeding,” generated posts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and included a call to new mothers to donate breast milk to the milk bank. It worked: Local moms donated more than 20,000 ounces of milk to help babies in need across the country.

DEMONSTRATE YOUR EXPERTISE

2

If you’re a financial

services company,

have your experts

offer advice about

retirement planning.

If you’re a caterer,

create a list of tips

for hosting the

perfect dinner party.

If you own a bed

and breakfast, make

a video of local

tourist attractions.

If you’re in health

care, send out

healthy recipes

in your email

newsletter.

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 10ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

Many kinds of content can enhance your brand. Employ a mix to keep your audience interested.

PROVIDE A MIX OF CONTENT

Written contentWhite papers are authoritative reports on an issue relevant to your industry.

Case studies show how a product or service works and how it might benefit potential customers.

How-to guides offer step-by-step solutions to problems customers might be facing.

Lists are a great way to break down information into a helpful, easy-to-read format. For example, you might make a list of important questions to ask before buying a particular product.

Visual material Infographics present information in a fun, visually compelling format, allowing viewers to easily digest data that relates to your industry or company.

Videos allow you to get creative with your content and are great for consumers too busy to read through a big block of text. You can hire a professional to make a video or do it yourself.

Social media posts

Social media sites—like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram—offer a wide range of opportunities to engage with potential and current customers. Social media updates can range from posting a photograph with a caption to giving a more in-depth update on your business.

3

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Content marketing doesn’t have to require a huge amount of time and money. Start small—with a

blog, sponsored content on a local website, or an active presence on a social media channel—and

build from there.

Find someone in your company who’s interested in content and let that person get creative. You can

also look outside your company for help. You may even outsource all of your content creation to

agencies, who can also distribute it for you. Alternatively, you can hire freelancers for specific projects.

START SMALL–AND GET HELP.

4

of companies outsource some content creation,

with writing and design being the biggest needs.5

50%

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 12ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

The Next Steps

DISTRIBUTION AND MONITORING

Average number of social media platforms

used by content marketers6

7

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 13ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

Once you’ve created compelling content, the next step is to get it out to your audience. “You may be writing terrific blog posts,” says Buffa, “but if they’re buried on your site, no one will find them.”

Here are some of the best ways to distribute your content.

Link from your homepage Don’t rely on visitors to your website to find new material themselves. Highlight new and popular content in a prominent place on your homepage.

Create an email newsletter People who have already signed up to receive emails from you are more likely than any other group to check out new content. Create a regular email newsletter, include links to new content in your emails, and ask subscribers to spread the word.

CONSIDER SPONSORED CONTENT Think about websites your customers are likely to frequent, and consider paying to sponsor content on those sites. People are more likely to read sponsored content than to click on more traditional ads.

Use social media Link to new content from social media, so that all your followers are aware of it. Tag people or companies who might bring attention to your post, and encourage them to share the content with their followers as well. Respond to comments as quickly as possible to make your audience feel appreciated.

Repurpose what you make Design content that can be used in several different formats so that you get the most for your efforts. Take bits and pieces of blog posts and distribute them on social media, or collect several posts as the basis for an ebook.

DISTRIBUTING YOUR CONTENTContent Marketing in Action

DaVinci RoofscapesDaVinci Roofscapes, a roofing materials company based in Lenexa, KS, earned a 2015 Internet marketing award from the Construction Marketing Association. DaVinci’s content marketing succeeds because the marketing team knows its audience—both contractors and homeowners in the market for a new roof.

According to Kathy Ziprik, a consultant who works on content marketing with DaVinci, the company aims for a mix of fun and information. A blog post might offer a list of installation tips from a technical expert or feature a Q&A with a satisfied customer. Photos posted on Facebook might show close-ups of roofing details.

DaVinci’s team uses a mix of distribution channels. They link to blog posts from the company’s main page. And they post frequently on social media, including how-to and before-and-after videos on YouTube, where they have their own channel. “Since our audience is mostly 35 and older, we post on Facebook more than Twitter,” says Ziprik.

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 14ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

You want to make sure your content is doing what you intend. There are many easy-to-use tools available—often for free—such as Google Analytics and bit.ly to help you monitor your content marketing performance.

These are some key metrics to watch.

MONITOR YOUR EFFORTS

Reach monitors the number of people

who view your content and where they come from. Metrics in this category include page views, unique visitors and the

geographical location of visitors.

Engagement measures whether your

audience takes action after viewing your content, and

in what ways. This category includes click-throughs and

comments.

Conversion reveals if the people who view

your content are converted into prospects or paying customers.

Included in this category are unique visitor conversion, return visitor conversion and cost per

conversion.

Sharing shows who is sharing what,

to whom and where. This metric is especially useful for social media like Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram and LinkedIn.

Content Marketing: Creating a Connection with Your Customers | 15ADVANCE-OHIO.COM

Content marketing can be a powerful tool for your company—but only if you use it strategically.

CONTENT MARKETING DO’S AND DON’TS

Do Produce original content that informs and entertains.

Highlight your expertise in your industry and region.

Use a variety of distribution channels.

Start small and find help.

Monitor what’s working.

Don’t Assume traditional marketing strategies are enough.

Think content marketing is only for bigger companies.

Forget who your audience is.

Bury your content on your website.

Say things you’ll regret on social media.

1 http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2014/08/pitch-content-marketing-power-to-boss/ 2http://www.stateofinbound.com3https://www.brightedge.com/sites/default/files/Cracking%20the%20Content%20Code.pdf4http://www.the-cma.com/about-us/why-customer-publishing5http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/2013/11/dos-donts-outsourcing-content-creation/6http://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/2016_B2C_Research_Final.pdf

Contact Advance Ohio Today!As part of Advance Local, one of the largest media groups in the U.S., we have access to a team of award-winning writers, editors and designers at our in-house content marketing agency, Headline Studio.

By combining our comprehensive digital solutions and superior audience targeting capabilities with the powerful content of Headline Studio, we can create campaigns that engage audiences, increase your brand’s visibility and deliver results.

Content Strategy

Branded Content

Original Photography

Real-Time Brand Newsroom

Infographics + Data Visualizations

Native Sponsored Content

Social Media Management

Custom Branded Videos

Thought Leadership

Original Illustrations

Learn more about our content marketing solutions by contacting your Advance Ohio Marketing Solutions Specialist at 216-999-3900 or email marketing@advance-ohio.com.

SOURCES

Advance Ohio is an exciting digital company with a start-up personality that provides a suite of cutting-edge solutions that help a wide range of businesses reach their marketing goals. We are part of Advance Local, the leading provider of news and information in 12 markets across the country.

With first-party non-personally identifiable data access to more than 80 million devices owned by consumers across a range of award-winning news and information brands, Advance Ohio offers a powerful combination of premium digital data and strategic marketing innovation. Because of our access to so many points of data through media properties owned by Advance Ohio and its affiliates, we can provide insights into user behavior and intent that can help marketers target their budgets more effectively.

Advance Ohio operates cleveland.com, which has the largest online audience of any news and information website in the state of Ohio. Advance Ohio is strategic partners with industry leaders including Microsoft, Google, Lotame, Acxiom and Nativo.

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